Dr. Sanjay Jain

My name is Dr. Sanjay Jain, I am a senior consultant in the department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology at Indraprastha Apollo Hospital, Sarita Vihar in Delhi.

Today I like to talk about a very common condition called fatty liver I am sure most of you have heard about it and increasingly one an ultrasound is done the awareness about fatty liver is increasing. I want to tell you that most of the time people just tend to ignore when they are found to have fatty liver and that should not always be the case. Broadly speaking you can see there are two types of fatty liver one is a benign sort of fatty liver, where just ultrasound has picked up the extra fat in the liver. But all the blood test for the liver and another test to find out while more in the liver is normal. Most of these patients don't need to worry too much about it but of course, they need to take care of the extra fat in the liver. But the other group in which where the liver function test shows there is swelling in the liver which means a sort of Hepatitis and in this particular context it's called steatotic hepatitis that means fats induced hepatitis. These are the people whose lower functional test are not normal, they have got an ongoing swelling in the liver because of the extra fat deposited there and they are at the higher risk of liver-related complications. These people must get hold of the Gastroenterologist or their physician, they would need a detailed liver evaluation and most likely some treatment also. Regarding the causes of fatty liver, the two most common cause are alcohol and obesity, other common causes being diabetes, hypothyroidism etc. We have few drugs which are available now which can help in this condition rather than telling you the name of the drugs, I would like you, people, if you have found a fatty liver must see a doctor find out whether it is just benign incidental finding or it needs to be taken up further and act accordingly.

If you have any query about fatty liver or other gastroenterological problem you are most welcome to get in touch with me through lybrate.com.

Certain conditions turn fatal due to sheer negligence. Being aware of the symptoms and reaching out for medical help is paramount to avoid complications. One such disease is Hepatitis B that is caused by the Hepatitis B virus. This virus directly affects the liver which might result in both chronic and acute infections. Severe cases of Hepatitis B might lead to the death of the infected person.

You must understand that this is a highly contagious disease that is transmitted from an infected person to another person through blood or other body fluids and hence care needs to be exercised. Read on further to recognize the symptoms if infected and avail medical help.

Causes and Symptoms
It becomes extremely important to identify the causes which make it easier to be prevented. The disease is caused by the Hepatitis B virus, and it spreads through contact with blood and other body fluids of an infected individual. The disease can be transmitted by having sex with an infected person without any protection or by sharing the needles. Getting a tattoo on the body with tools that are not sterilized properly can also cause hepatitis B. Also, sharing the personal items like razor or toothbrush of an infected individual can cause the disease. Furthermore, the virus can be passed from a mother to her baby during the time of delivery.

The symptoms of the disease are sometimes extremely difficult to identify since it may seem to be the symptoms of common flu. Feeling extremely tired, having a mild fever, headache, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, and pain in the stomach are some of the common symptoms of Hepatitis B. Also, with the infection, the stools are tan colored, and the urine color gets darker. The eyes and the skin appear to be yellowish in color.

Diagnosis and Treatment
The simplest way of diagnosis of the presence of the virus is done by a blood test. The symptoms give a warning about the presence of the virus, and the blood test confirms whether the virus is present in the body or was previously there. In some of the cases, a small sample of the liver is taken for the confirmation of the presence of the hepatitis B virus using the procedure known as a liver biopsy.

In most of the cases, the virus goes away on its own. It is recommended to take adequate rest, eat healthy foods, drink a lot of water and avoid consumption of alcohol for proper recovery. Some medications are also used in the treatment of hepatitis B, but one needs to extremely careful about the medicines because some medicines can make the condition worse.

The best way of prevention of the disease is the appropriate vaccination which is widely used in this case. Also, when you experience the common symptoms of the disease, do not delay in seeking professional help. In case you have a concern or query you can always consult an expert & get answers to your questions!

Hepatitis C is a Viral Infection That is Little Talked About, But Can Be As Dangerous As Hepatitis B

Most people have head or what became in the 1980s and '90s the dreaded AIDS virus. With time and the availability of medicines, it ceased to be a killer. However, the knowledge of it helped stem its spread. Most people, unfortunately, don't realize that hepatitis C is also a killer, simply because not much has been said about it. In fact, it is also a virus, but is 10 times more infectious than HIV.

Hepatitis C is transmitted through the blood, and is usually passed on to women through infected needles and sex. At-home glucometers are often shared, or sometimes a woman's own lifestyle or her partner's lifestyle before marriage may put her at risk, because the virus can stay in the blood for years. It is also transmitted through blood products, like in the case of a transfusion, though in the case of pregnant women, this is not so common.

The dangers
The virus affects 1 in every 100 people in India, while globally 180 million are infected with it. Sometimes, it may just pass through the body, like many other viruses do, but sometimes, it can remain. If detected quickly, within six months or so, cure rates are high. the problem is that it is often not easy to detect, as symptoms resemble those of a regular seasonal viral infection: fatigue, nausea, loss of appetite. If it remains in the body, becoming chronic, then it may progress to liver disease. But the hepatitis C virus (HCV) doesn't have to be a killer. You can conquer it with these moves. 

What you should do before
A number of couples who come to me have planned pregnancies-they opt for a baby, rather than the baby just 'happening' to them. This not only helps family planning, but it also helps us rule out infections or treat them if present. Usually, in the first trimester, your gynecologist will ask you to do a simple blood test for HIV, hepatitis B and C. In the case of a planned pregnancy, visit your doctor beforehand and ask if you need to take these tests before you conceive. However, there is no vaccine for HCV yet.

What you should do after
If a woman find out in the first trimester that she is hepatitis C positive, there's nothing much that can be done, as anti-viral medications cause birth defects, so a mother can only be put on them after delivery. She is advised to continue the pregnancy. A baby's chance of acquiring the infection in utero is between 5 and 7%. While this is not high, parents may like to avoid the risk. However, co-infection with HIV (if the mother is HIV positive) pushes the risk up to 19.4%. The pregnancy itself will not be hampered by the HCV infection. Nor does the risk of transmission to the child have anything to do with the mode of delivery-either vaginal or C-section. In India, there is little data on HCV transmission from mother to child. However, once the baby is born, the pediatrician may not do an immediate test to check for the virus, as it generally clears out from the baby's system in a year or so. Testing may only be done at 18 months.

In case you have a concern or query you can always consult an expert & get answers to your questions!

If you are in the habit of consuming alcohol excessively and notice redness on the palms of the hands or pale stools, then it might point to liver disease. These are one of the many symptoms of alcoholic liver diseases which is the collective terms for liver diseases occurring due to alcohol overconsumption which includes fatty liver, hepatitis, and cirrhosis. Read on to know about this condition in brief.

Causes and The Risk Factors
The main cause of the disease is overconsumption of alcohol though not all of the heavy drinkers develop this disease and the cause is not clearly understood. But it is found that a toxic chemical called acetaldehyde produced by alcohol damages the liver leading to its scarring and ultimately resulting in cirrhosis or an end state disease of the liver.

It is also noted that the people who consume liquor and beer or spirits are at greater risk of developing the alcoholic liver disease as compared to the ones who consume different alcoholic beverages like wine. Further, studies have revealed that women metabolize alcohol slower as compared to men and hence they are at a greater risk of developing the disease. And women who consume alcohol more and at the same time are on the heavier side have a high chance of developing a chronic liver disease which might even lead to death. Genetic factors increase the chances of developing a disease of the liver too.

Diagnosis

Prevention and Treatment
For the prevention of alcoholic liver disease, the most critical step is to stop the intake alcohol completely. If you stop consuming alcohol, the risk for the rapid acceleration of the liver disease stops and then you can proceed with the further treatment procedures. If you cannot give up alcohol altogether, it is recommended to limit the intake of alcohol to only one or two drinks per day but is best to stop completely.

The causes and the risk factors of the alcoholic liver disease vary from one person to another, and similarly, the procedures of treatment also vary depending on the condition of the liver of the affected person.

Medications are used to treat the liver disease which depends on the condition of the liver. The healthcare professional decides the course of medication as per the requirements. In some severe cases, the doctors are left with the only option of liver transplantation which is the only definitive therapy in modern medical science, but that involves a lot of risks and other complications. So when it comes to alcoholic liver disease prevention is better than cure.

In case you have a concern or query you can always consult an expert & get answers to your questions!

Screening for cancer of the colon or large intestine and rectum is a proven way of saving a person from the impacts of colorectal diseases. This is partly because colon cancer is something that can be prevented if detected at an early stage and the polyps which may advance to cancer are removed properly. Thus if you are turning 50 soon, be prepared to present yourself for a screening colonoscopy that will help you ensure good health and well-being. It may sound uncanny, but do you know that 50,000 people across the world die from colorectal cancer every year, and it is ranked second in terms of cancer-centric deaths.

Understanding the importance of having colonoscopy: You may wonder how a painful, invasive, embarrassing, uncomfortable and time-consuming health test may be called a present. There are reasons enough. A screening colonoscopy is able to expose a cancerous tumour that's presently under way and cast light on the chances and risk factors that may precede it. When you choose to intervene early, you have the power to nip those risks at their budding stage, much before those malicious cells become malignant.

Spreading of the colorectal cancer: Your large intestine is really a big and last organ of the gastrointestinal system where the small intestine discontinues. Its primary function is to remove the water out of the leftover solids of digestion and get rid of them in the form of stool. Cancer may start to develop anywhere within the tube that expands 5 feet long and squares the vacant area of the abdomen. The large intestine expands up towards the right side, i.e. the ascending colon and then turns left through the liver, i.e., the transverse colon, bending down right at the spleen on its left, i.e. descending colon and loops to the middle, i.e., the sigmoid colon before it runs across the rectum and ends at the anus.

People who need a colonoscopy: To simplify matters, it can be said that all adults are at a potential risk of the colorectal cancer, including those people who lead a healthy life. But some people are at a higher risk. Those individuals have a specific gene mutation that predisposes them to develop into numerous polyps. The risk is also high with people who are first-degree relatives of a person diagnosed with cancer before the age of 50. People with Ulcerative colitis, various types of inflammatory bowel diseases and Crohn's disease are also at a higher risk.

Colorectal cancer is a serious ailment and screening colonoscopy is a feasible means of detecting any polyps that may be cancerous in the future. Speak with a reputed gastroenterologist today to stay ahead of the disease. Consult an expert & get answers to your questions!